Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (RQF)

Yes. You can complete the Level 3 Early Years Educator diploma through an online course with a nursery placement, without an apprenticeship. Lift College’s Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma is studied online at your own pace; placement hours are completed in an early years setting near you, and the qualification carries the same DfE full and relevant status.

Yes, once you also hold a suitable Level 2 English qualification. The DfE lists this diploma as full and relevant at Level 3, so under the EYFS statutory framework you can be counted in Level 3 staff to child ratios in nurseries and preschools; without Level 2 English you are counted at Level 2. Staff who qualified since 30 June 2016 also need paediatric first aid within three months of starting work to be counted. That is the requirement most early years employers hire against.

It lets you count in staff to child ratios in nurseries and preschools, once you also hold a suitable Level 2 English qualification, such as GCSE English grade 4+ or Functional Skills English Level 2. Level 2 maths is no longer required for this (DfE Early years qualification requirements and standards, July 2026). This Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma is listed by the Department for Education as full and relevant at Level 3. A setting decides which posts need it.

This page describes it as the Level 3 early years qualification, listed by the Department for Education as full and relevant at Level 3. It is an Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma for early years care and education. It is not the teaching assistant route for work in schools with older children.

A Level 3 childcare qualification such as the Early Years Educator diploma sits at RQF Level 3, the same level as A Levels and T Levels. It is the level the EYFS requires for setting managers and for staff counted at Level 3 in ratios.

Nursery practitioner is a job title; Early Years Educator is the Level 3 qualification (and the DfE's name for a Level 3 qualified practitioner). Most nursery practitioner roles that count in ratios ask for the Level 3 EYE or a Level 2 early years qualification.

Yes, at Level 3. Early years practitioner jobs that count in EYFS ratios at Level 3 ask for a full and relevant Level 3 qualification, and this Early Years Educator diploma is on the DfE list. You study online with a named UK tutor and complete at least 300 placement hours in an Ofsted registered setting.

Some learners qualify for a funded apprenticeship or a local authority place, but availability depends on age, employer and region. Lift College's route is not government funded: it is £99.99 a month with a 7-day free trial and no credit check, so you can start without an employer.

Yes. You study this Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma online with a named UK tutor. You still build your portfolio and complete at least 300 placement hours in an Ofsted registered setting that follows the EYFS. Assessment is a portfolio and observed practice, with no exams.

Yes. You must complete and evidence a minimum of 300 hours in an Ofsted registered setting that follows the EYFS, employed or voluntary. This Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma observes your practice in that setting. Most learners do the hours in their own job.

This diploma is listed by the Department for Education as full and relevant at Level 3. A setting decides which posts need it.

No. Portfolio for knowledge (assignments, tasks, questions, workbooks); observation of practice in the setting for skills; witness statements where appropriate. Internally marked, externally quality assured by TQUK. Grading is Pass only, no grading.

The Level 3 Early Years Educator diploma typically takes 12 to 18 months studying 8 to 12 hours a week online, plus 300 hours in an Ofsted registered early years setting. Because you study at your own pace with no term dates, you can finish faster if you already work in a nursery.

One price covers the full course with every fee included: a named UK tutor, marking in 5 to 7 working days, AI Study Support, and your TQUK certificate. There is nothing extra to pay.

The default is a free 7-day trial with your first payment on day 8. If you would rather pay today, skip the trial and save up to 17%, with your price fixed for life. Your 14-day money back guarantee still applies: change your mind for any reason within 14 days and we refund the full payment.

You need to be 16 or over. No specific entry requirements. TQUK notes learners may benefit from a Level 2 early years qualification. A suitable Level 2 English qualification, such as GCSE English grade 4+ or Functional Skills English Level 2, is needed for the DfE full and relevant status that lets you count in ratios. Level 2 maths is no longer required for this (DfE Early years qualification requirements and standards, July 2026). Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.

An enhanced DBS check is normally arranged by your employer or placement setting. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.

This diploma is the Level 3 early years qualification. The page also shows the Level 3 teaching assistant diploma and the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching.

Yes. Pay today and save up to 17% for life: £89.99 a month or £809.99 a year (after a 7-day free trial: £99.99 a month or £1,019.99 a year). The 7-day free trial and 14-day money back apply either way.

Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) issues the certificate. Lift College is a TQUK recognised centre.

Yes. TQUK's specification states the qualification is listed by the DfE as full and relevant at Level 3, which is what lets you count in staff to child ratios once you also hold a suitable Level 2 English qualification, such as GCSE English grade 4+ or Functional Skills English Level 2. Level 2 maths is no longer required for this (DfE Early years qualification requirements and standards, July 2026).

The Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (RQF) with Lift College is £809.99 a year or £89.99 a month when you pay today: pay for 9 months and get 3 free, with your price fixed for life. Or start for £0 today on the 7-day free trial, then £99.99 a month or £1,019.99 a year. Your tutor, TQUK registration and certificate are included, with no contract, no credit check and a 14-day money back guarantee on every payment. Our guide to the best online childcare courses compares this with four other providers.

No. To be counted in ratios at Level 3 you need a suitable Level 2 English qualification, such as GCSE English grade 4 (C) or Functional Skills English Level 2. Level 2 maths is required only for setting managers appointed on or after 4 January 2024, under the DfE early years qualification requirements and standards.

Yes. Your paid or voluntary hours in an Ofsted registered setting that follows the EYFS count towards the 300 placement hours, and your practice is observed there. Most learners study while working in the setting.

You can work in a nursery as an unqualified member of staff, but to be counted at Level 2 or Level 3 in a nursery's EYFS ratios you need a qualification the DfE recognises as full and relevant: a Level 2 to be counted at Level 2, or a Level 3 such as the Early Years Educator (or the DfE's experience based route), plus a suitable Level 2 English qualification, to be counted at Level 3. Lift College's online Early Years Educator Level 3 is listed by the DfE as full and relevant at Level 3.

Yes, the study is online: you learn with a named UK tutor, build your portfolio online and sit no exams. Alongside your online study you must be employed or in a voluntary placement in an early years setting, and complete and evidence at least 300 hours in an Ofsted registered setting that follows the EYFS, where your practice is observed. Most learners study while working in the setting. Lift College's TQUK diploma costs £89.99 a month or £809.99 a year when you pay today, or £99.99 a month after a 7-day free trial.

Yes. You study the TQUK Level 3 Early Years Educator diploma online with a named UK tutor, and alongside your study you complete and evidence at least 300 placement hours in an Ofsted registered setting that follows the EYFS, employed or voluntary, where your practice is observed. There are no exams.

Most learners take 12 to 18 months, studying 8 to 12 hours a week online alongside at least 300 placement hours in an Ofsted registered early years setting. You study at your own pace with no term dates, so you can finish sooner if you already work in a nursery.

Yes. The Level 3 Early Years Educator that Lift College teaches online is an Ofqual regulated TQUK diploma, on the Ofqual register at Level 3 with qualification number 610/3598/1. Training Qualifications UK, an Ofqual recognised awarding organisation, issues the certificate, and Lift College is a TQUK recognised centre. The DfE also lists it as full and relevant at Level 3.

Yes. You can start the Level 3 Early Years Educator with Lift College today on a free 7-day trial: £0 today, and your first payment of £99.99 is on day 8. If you would rather skip the trial, Pay today means your first payment is today and you save up to 17%, £89.99 a month, with your price fixed for life. You complete your 300 placement hours alongside your study, and the 14-day money back guarantee applies either way.

Lift College's Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (RQF) is £809.99 for 12 months when you pay today, or £0 today on the 7-day free trial and then £99.99 a month, with your TQUK registration and certificate included. Open Study College, UK Open College and Oxbridge Home Learning charge £1,200 to £1,949 for the course, from their own websites on 21 October 2026.